26 posts categorized "Ben Revere"

Surely it seems like an eternity for Cameron Rupp, who is
making his major league debut tonight when he starts behind the plate for the
Phillies.

The Phillies called up Rupp from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on
Sept. 3 and he has yet to appear in a game.

It was all part of the plan, though, for interim manager
Ryne Sandberg, who wanted Rupp to start a game Tyler Cloyd was on the mound.

“I figured that was a good
matchup, they’ve caught each other most of the year this year, it’s a chance to
see Rupp and team him with a pitcher he knows, that way he goes into the game,
feels good,” Sandberg said. “It feels like it’s a good combination to win a
game. I’m anxious to see where he’s at.”

Rupp started the season with
Double-A Reading, where he hit .245. Because of a concussion to Triple-A
catcher Tommy Joseph, Rupp was sent to Lehigh Valley, where he hit .269. In his
final 21 games with the IronPigs, the 24-year-old batted .329 (25-for-76) with
four doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs.

“Tommy getting hurt, you don’t want to see anybody get hurt,”
Rupp said. “That’s the last thing you want. They gave me an opportunity and I
took advantage of everything I could.”

Rupp , 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, was originally drafted by the
Pirates in the 43rd round in the June 2007 draft when he was in high
school. He passed on the offer and went to play at the University of Texas at
Austin. The Phillies took him in the third round of the 2010 draft.

Before this season, he had never played above Class- A
Clearwater. He was most excited to get here to work with catcher Carlos Ruiz.

“I’ve loved watching him,” Rupp said. “I’ve watched him
growing up. I was in college when they won the World Series, so I’m excited to
get to work with him and I’m going to be all ears.”

ROTATION SWITCH-A-ROO

In an effort to give Roy Halladay more recovery time from
the illness he was battling over the weekend, the Phillies have again bumped
back his next start day.

Halladay was originally supposed to start Tuesday but was
moved to Wednesday. Now, the plan is for him to be Thursday’s starter. Cliff
Lee was bumped up a day to start Wednesday, but he will be starting on regular
rest.

“I think he lost a lot of his
strength for a few days there,” Sandberg said. “He actually went home with it
the first day. He’s feeling much better.”

INJURY UPDATES

In addition to Ryan Howard not
returning the rest of the season, neither will Ben Revere.

A couple weeks ago, Revere had
hopes of coming back in the final week of two. That’s been nixed.

Revere took live BP on the field
today, but will leave for Clearwater on Thursday where he’ll continue to work
out and then play in the instructional league.

“The plan is very similar to Ryan
Howard, to go there, continue treatment and strength work in the facilities
there, get some pregame workouts there and gradually get into some florida
instructional league games before they start their winter,” Sandberg said. “And
the number of games is kind of up to them and the organization, whether they’re
doing everything, if they’re comfortable where they’re at and they feel good,
confident going into the winter that they can do their normal routine.”

One guy who is expected back this year is Dom Brown, who has
been nursing tendinitis and bursitis in his right Achilles since Aug. 24 when
he left the game in the third inning. He played on and off from Aug. 25 to
Sept. 1, but hasn’t appeared in a game since then.

“Little different
route this time,” Sandberg said. “We gave him five days last time and he was
symptom free and he was good to go and he played off and on for two games and
it came right back. This [time we were] more
cautious with him, giving him 9-10 days and then go much slower on the baseball
activities.”

Brown, who also spent time on the DL because of a
concussion, took BP in the cage Tuesday for the first time since Sept. 1. It
wound up being 40-50 swings of soft toss.

He needs three more home runs to become the 23rd different
player in Phillies history to have 30 homers in one season and the first since
Howard had 33 in 2011. The Phillies are 15-10 when he has homered this
year.

Phillippe Aumont did not meet the Phillies expectations this
season, which explains why he wasn’t a September call-up.

And although he’s being shut down this winter, it doesn’t
mean the organization is discounting him.

“I’m sure he was disappointed he wasn’t called up,” said
Benny Looper, assistant GM in charge of player personnel. “But he’s got some
things to work on, and he didn’t deserve to get called up. Deep down, he knows
that. But we haven’t given up on him. Yesterday, [he got it] up to 97 yesterday
and [had] a plus-curve.”

The 6-foot-7 right-hander posted a 4.04 ERA in 32 games with
Triple-Lehigh Valley. He ended things on a high note by allowed only two earned
runs in his final 13 1/3 innings, but continued to have issues with his
command. He walked 38 and hit six others in 35 2/3 innings with the IronPigs,
plus he walked 13 in 19 1/3 innings with Philadelphia.

“He didn’t get to the point that we thought he would be,”
Looper said. “We thought that he would be --- at some point in the season --- a
dominating part of the bullpen. He never got to that point. We haven’t given up
on that point and I don’t think he think’s we’ve given up in him.”

BEN REVERE UPDATE

Ben Revere, making his way back from foot surgery, hit off a tee for the first time Monday. He said his first five swings felt weird, but then he got into a groove. He will see the doctor next week and is hoping he'll be cleared to jog at that point.

A comeback this season isn't a definite, but it hasn't been ruled out.

"We'll see how it feels," Revere said. "If I can go full speed and everything's good, then hopefully I'll be back."

PAUL OWENS AWARD WINNERS

Double-A Reading’s Maikel Franco
and pitcher Severino Gonzalez were named the 2013 Paul Owens Awards winners by
the Phillies. Each season the award is presented to the organization’s top
minor league player and pitcher.

Between Class-A Clearwater and
Reading, the 21-year old Franco hit .320, best in the Phillies system, with 31
home runs and 103 RBIs in 134 total games.

Franco joined Reading’s roster on
June 20 after hitting .299 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs in 65 games with Clearwater.
In his final 69 games of the season with the Fightins’, he hit 15 homers and drove
in 51 runs while hitting .339.

Franco will play winter ball, but
there is one issue that concerns the Phillies. They have very little control of
what position Franco plays while he’s there, and they’d like him to play some at
first base in addition to third base.
That might not happen.

“It’s out of our control, really,”
Looper said. “We would like for him to play both positions (first and third) to
get experience. He’s got a lot of experience at third. He needs to play there.
That’s his primary position. What he needs at first base is game situations.
Doug Mansolino (Philadelphia’s infield coordinator) has gone over everything
with him, but he needs it to happen in a game to see how he reacts.

Gonzalez joined the Fightins on
the final day of the 2013 season and picked up the winning decision after
throwing 6 2/3 innings during which he
allowed two earned runs, struck out six, and walked none in his Double-A debut.

“He can really pitch,” Looper said.
“He’s fun to watch. He’s real competitive on the mound. He doesn’t mind
throwing inside. He pitches like a veteran. He has 3 or 4 different pitches,
throws them in any count. Throws a lot of strikes.”

The 20-year old Panamanian went
7-5 with a 2.00 ERA in 25 games where he made 14 starts with stops in Class-A
Lakewood and Clearwater. He struck out 119 batters while walking just 22 this
season.

Looper said that because he has
such good command of his pitches and already can throw several for strikes,
there’s a chance he could be fast-tracked through the system. But there are no
guarantees.

“He does need to get bigger and stronger,” Looper said. “He
needs to improve his changeup. He’s got some things to work on. But he’s got
good command of more than one pitch. He does have a chance of moving up quicker than others where he takes
them a few years to figure out their command.”

The duo will be presented the
awards at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, Sept. 16, prior to the the game against
the Miami Marlins.

Cesar Hernandez can officially be added to the list of “guys
competing for a job."

The 23-year-old had been a middle infielder his entire minor
league career, but was thrown into center field in some minor league games in
early July. An injury prevented him from getting a chance to play there in the
big leagues --- until now.

Hernandez, who had played in seven games at second base
earlier this season for the Phillies, was called up Sunday. He’s starting
tonight’s game againsnt the Nationals in center field.

“If it’s going to give me an opportunity to get to the big
leagues quicker then what the heck let’s do it,” Hernandez said through
interpreter Ricky Ricardo, who does Spanish-language radio broadcasts for the
club.

Hernandez has made 24 appearances in the outfield between
Double-A and Triple-A this summer. For Lehigh Valley, he played in center field
19 times, in right field once and in left field once. While with Reading, he
was in center field three times.

While playing center field, he made three errors in 60
chances for a .950 fielding percentage.

“When he left here two months ago the idea was to just give
him another position to play to give him some versatility to his resume,”
Phillies interim manager Ryne Sandberg said. “Center field was looked at
because of his speed and range. He has a real nice stride that’s noticeable. He seems to have adapted very well. This
here, is another challenge for him but it’s a good chance to see where he’s at.”

With the IronPigs this year, Hernandez, a switch-hitter,
batted .309 with 34 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. During his brief stint with
Philadelphia, he was 7-for-28 (.250) with no stolen bases, one RBI, four
strikeouts and no walks.

“He has a plus-bat for his age. Both sides of the plate,”
Sandberg said. “He uses the gaps well, and has power in a smaller looking body.
He can swing the bat a little bit. I see him being initially a bench player and
get some odd starts but to do that you need to be versatile and that’s what the
center field move is about.”

Hernandez is the eighth player to play center field for the Phillies this year. The others are Ben Revere, Ezequiel Carrera, John Mayberry Jr., Michael Martinez, Casper Wells, Roger Bernadina and Laynce Nix.

NEW FACES ON THE WAY

The Phillies have announced that six players will join the
team as rosters expand for September call-ups. They are infielder Freddy Galvis, right-handers Tyler Cloyd and Luis Garcia, and
left-handers Mauricio Robles and Joe Savery from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Additionally, catcher Cameron Rupp had his contract selected.

There’s no word
yet on third baseman Maikel Franco, who’s having an outstanding year with
Double-A Reading.

If the Phillies
think he has a shot at making the 25-man roster out of spring training next
year, I’d think they’d like to get a glimpse of him here this month. If they
don’t call him up at any point this September, I can’t imagine they think he’s
a true candidate to make the club when the team leaves Clearwater next year.

Heading into the
Fightins last game this afternoon, the 21-year-old Franco was hitting .333
(91-for-273) with 15 homers and 51 RBIs for Reading. Including his time with
Class-A Clearwater this season, he hit .317 (170-for-537) with 103 RBIs and 31
home runs. He posted a combined OBP of .354 and a slugging percentage of .566.
He struck out 69 times and walked 30 times.

MEDICAL UPDATES

Sandberg said Dom Brown has mild tendinitis and mild bursitis in his right Achilles and is listed as day to day. He is available to pinch hit tonight.

Cody Asche (right hamstring soreness) is feeling fine after playing Sunday in Chicago, Sandberg said. He is not playing tonight, but Sandberg said the plan all along was to give him a day off after starting yesterday.

Team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti recommended season-ending
surgery for Lannan, who, according to assistant general manager Scott
Proefrock, ruptured a tendon in his left knee. Lannan will get a second opinion
from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles next week.

On Thursday, Howard will start
baseball activities, which includes a hitting program, taking ground balls and
doing some jogging. The surgery on left knee to repair torn cartilage was July
10 and the original timetable for his return was six to eight weeks. Tomorrow
(Aug. 21) is the six-week mark. Eight weeks would be Sept. 4.

I wouldn’t count on Howard coming
back this year. The club has a lot of money invested in him and it doesn’t want
to risk throwing him out there if he’s not 100 percent. Maybe things would be
different if the team were in the playoff hunt.

“I did not see Ryan yesterday but
everybody that saw him said he looked like he’s in good shape,” Proefrock said.
“I think that’s the main thing, to get a foundation back up for him.”

Revere, who has been out since
July 14 and is recovering from surgery for a broken bone in his right foot, ditched
his crutches yesterday, Proefrock said he is finally weight-bearing.

“He’s headed in the right
direction as well,” Proefrock said. “Hopefully, I don’t know whether Ryan or
Ben will be back on the field here or in Florida, but the expectation is that
they’ll be back on the field somewhere before the end of the season. Whether
it’s up here, whether they’re playing in instructional league, I don’t know.”

Stutes (right biceps tendinitis) is
long-tossing, although he has not thrown off a mound. Proefrock thinks a return
this year for him could happen. Jeremy Horst (left elbow sprain) was scheduled to
see a doctor today, but Proefrock had not yet gotten a medical update on him.
Savery (left elbow stiffness) will go on a rehab assignment later this
week, likely in Florida.

Proefrock added the team is hoping Mike Adams will be ready for spring training after his shoulder surgery.

The Phillies’ latest acquisition tells me they really want
to get rid of either Delmon Young or Michael Martinez.

The team claimed outfielder Casper Wells, 28, off waivers. This will be the fifth team he’s played for
this season, including spring training.

Wells will join the team in Washington, D.C., this weekend, during which a corresponding roster move will be made.

Wells is a lifetime .236 hitter in 265 major league games
dating back to 2010. He’s hitting all of .167 (11-for-66) this year in at-bats
with Oakland and the Chicago White Sox.

“Casper is someone that we've
had our eye on since spring training,” GM Ruben Amaro said in a press release.
“He's a versatile outfielder who adds depth to our club and can be a power
threat off the bench.”

Wells has 25 career home runs and a liftetime .407 slugging percentage.

Wells has appeared in 232 games in the outfield, just 26 of
which have come in center field, a hole the Phillies have been trying to
replace since Ben Revere went on the disabled list right before the All-Star
break.

Right field has been problematic, too. Young is hitting only
.262, 22 points below his career average before this year, and has recently
been benched a few times in favor of Darin Ruf, who never played right field
before this week.

Martinez has been shuffled north and south on the Northeast
Extension but never hits as well in Philadelphia as he does for Triple-A Lehigh
Valley. After his RBI single in the second inning Thursday, he’s hitting .167
(2-for-12).

Wells spent spring training with the Seattle Mariners before being
claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays off waivers on April 10. He did not
appear in a game for the Blue Jays before being designated for assignment and
acquired by Oakland on April 22. He played in three games with the A’s
before he was acquired by the White Sox on April 29.

One thing to make note of if you haven’t already: The
Phillies had Cesar Hernandez starting games in center field for Triple-A Lehigh
Valley before Ben Revere got hurt. And colleague Jeff Schuler, The Morning Call’s
IronPigs beat writer, reported that Hernandez, a middle infielder his entire
career, was taking fly balls in center field for about a month before he made
his first start there on July 4.

So, now you’re wondering why this matters?

One of my theories is that the Phillies were prepping to
dangle Hernandez out there as trade bait, touting him as a versatile position
player who can swing the bat and has lots of speed. He’s proven himself at the
Triple-A level and held his own during his brief stint in the big leagues.

The other possibility is the Phillies were training
Hernandez to be a center fielder so he could replace Revere (obviously this
was before Revere got hurt), who they may have been trying to trade. A center
fielder with speed and consistency at the plate --- he hit .347 (78-for-225) in
a 65-game stretch from May 1 to July 13 --- would have value. Before Revere
broke a bone in his ankle, Ruben Amaro Jr. was on the record saying he was
interested in acquiring a bullpen piece and he hadn’t ruled out giving up someone
on the major league roster.

Revere would definitely add value to teams, and in turn, the
Phillies possibility could have gotten the bullpen help they so desperately
need.

In case the news is really bad after Ben Revere see a
foot specialist Monday morning, Ruben Amaro Jr. has a plan in place that might work.
If that one doesn’t look like it’s going to pan out, he’s going to do more
shopping around than he originally intended.

The organization has sent second baseman Cesar Hernandez
from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to Double-A Reading, where he’ll play center field
exclusively with the hope that he’s an upgrade over John Mayberry Jr., who
filled in for Revere in Game 2 Saturday and then on Sunday.

“He struggled yesterday, but it’s a new position for him,”
Amaro said. “But we’ll give him a shot.”

Although Freddy Galvis played some in the outfielder in spring training and earlier this year with the Phillies, Amaro said the club is opting to try Hernandez in center field because he’s
faster.

While Hernandez is trying to adjust, Amaro will be looking
around to possibly make a trade for a center fielder. He’s not against selling young
talent, but he is going to be picky about who he trades away.

“If it’s going to be a long-term thing [with Revere], we’ll
look to upgrade that position," Amaro said. "“There are some young players that we might be able to move. We can’t afford to move guys that we think are close or going to
be helping us here shortly."

Amaro still isn’t convinced the bullpen, as is, can get this
team where it wants to go. So he’s still hoping to improve his relief corps.

“We are probably in the add mode more than anything else,”
Amaro said.

Although the Phillies currently have three catchers on their 25-man roster and no true center fielder, Amaro said he doesn't envision making a move right out of the All-Star break.

It happened to him so many times that Ben Revere figured it
was just the makings of another bruise.

Then he stepped out of the box, made contact and ran down
the line. Yikes.

“I tried to do everything I could to get down the first-base
line,” Revere said before Sunday’s game.

"It was definitely throbbing."

The Phillies center fielder’ right ankle swelled up almost
immediately and X-rays showed he broke a bone on the inside of his right ankle.
He was given a very general time frame of six to eight weeks, but that could change
after he sees a foot specialist Monday morning.

The timing for Revere couldn’t be worse. In his last 15
games, he’s hit safely in 14 of them. Over that stretch, he hit .431 with five
doubles, a triple, seven RBIs and six runs scored. But he started getting hot
even before the last two weeks.

Dating back to a 65-game stretch since May 1, the center
fielder hit .347 (78-for-225). He struck out only 22 times during that time.

“One of those freak accidents,” Revere said. “That was the
first broken bone that I had since I was playing sports. Am I frustrated? Yeah.
But I can’t let myself get down. Usually I’m a fast healer. Hopefully this won’t
take long. I’m going to be behind my teammates so hopefully by the time I get
back, we’re going to be in a playoff run.”

To take Revere’s spot on the 25-man roster, Erik Kratz was
activated from the disabled list. He was there four and a half weeks because of
having his left knee scoped for torn meniscus.

Kratz caught nine innings for the first time Saturday with
Reading, but has yet to catch back-to-back days. He was originally scheduled to
catch five innings today with Reading, but was activated instead.

Yes, this means the Phillies have three catchers on their
25-man roster. Don’t expect that to be the case after today. They won’t begin
the second half with three catchers. This was so they had an extra body who
could hit or even play first base if needed.

I’m expecting the team will call up and outfielder after the
All-Star break, unless of course there’s a trade made before then.

You can't help but wonder if the team is in the process of making some kind of trade or roster move.

The clubhouse was open to reporters earlier, but not as long as usual. And within minutes of my walking into the clubhouse, the door to Charlie Manuel's office was closed. At one point, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was in the office. I can't say with certainty if here was in there when the door closed.

Oh, at 11:50 a.m. there was still still lineup posted for a 1:35 game against the Braves. That's unusual.

Following tonight's game, the Phillies optioned backup infielder Freddy Galvis to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Taking his place on the 25-man roster will be John McDonald, who the Phillies acquired in a trade with Cleveland earlier in the day on Thursday.

I'm assuming this move was made in order to get Galvis more playing time. From June 19-28, he had just three at-bats.